/.ㅤ — 1 year ago(February 13, 2025 04:54 PM)

“I’d like to alert the president to the fact that he can abide by the law and still get rid of the people he wants to get rid of,” Grassley said. “He can put them on administrative leave for 30 days and send us a letter.”
Dear President Trump:
We write to you today concerning the reported firing of Inspectors General (IGs) from 18
offices.1 Congress was not provided the legally required 30-day notice and case-specific reasons
for removal, as required by law.2 Accordingly, we request that you provide that information
immediately.
On December 23, 2022, the “James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2023” was signed into law and included provisions from the Securing Inspector
General Independence Act, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of members.3 Those
provisions require that the President “shall” communicate to Congress in writing 30 days before
removing or transferring an IG from office the “substantive rationale, including detailed and
case-specific reasons” for the removal or transfer.4 The law also prohibits an IG from being
placed on non-duty status during the 30-day period preceding the date of removal or transfer
unless the continued presence of the Inspector General in the workplace poses a threat as
described by requirements in the Administrative Leave Act and the President submits a report to
Congress.5
While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be
removed by the president, the law must be followed.6 The communication to Congress must
contain more than just broad and vague statements, rather it must include sufficient facts and
details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the
Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission.7
This is a matter of public and congressional accountability and ensuring the public’s
confidence in the Inspector General community, a sentiment shared more broadly by other
Members of Congress. IGs are critical to rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within
the Executive Branch bureaucracy, which you have publicly made clear you are also intent on
doing.
Accordingly, we request that you provide Congress with a written communication that
contains the “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for each of the
IG’s removed. Further, we request the name of each official that will serve in an acting capacity
and that you work quickly to nominate qualified and non-partisan individuals to serve in these
open positions.
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